Here Are Rare Behind-the-Scenes 'Star Wars' Images of the Original Yoda, Played by a Monkey

Before Jim Henson was brought on to create the world's first animatronic puppet, the filmmaking team behind The Empire Strikes Back attempted to use a trained monkey wearing a Yoda mask. That idea was scrapped when it became apparent that even a trained monkey would continually rip the mask off, forcing the filmmakers to use Muppet mastermind Jim Henson to push the boundaries of 1980s technology in bringing one of the most iconic Star Wars characters to life.

Here are rare behind-the-scenes images of the monkey they brought in to play Yoda. In one he has the mask on, and in the other he's holding Yoda's cane. [via @mccrabb_will]

And for laughs, here's a fun image of Luke Skywalker on the set of Empire Strikes Back surrounded by Henson's Yoda, as well as two of his other famous creations, Kermit and Miss Piggy.

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